Tag: Multan rally

  • Newlyweds in Multan walk 6km due to PDM jalsa roadblocks

    Newlyweds in Multan walk 6km due to PDM jalsa roadblocks

    A newlywed couple on Monday had to walk six kilometres due to road blocks due to the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) jalsa in Multan.

    According to reports, the couple were at Lodhran’s Dunyapur tehsil when they encountered several barriers with police and other security personnel, asking them to stop their vehicle. The groom with his ‘barat’ had to park their cars on the side of a road from where they went to their destination on foot. 

    Shipping containers and heavy vehicles were parked at different spots around Multan as a security measure, while mobile phone services were also suspended inconveniencing locals.

  • Ali Tareen ‘welcome to join PPP’ after saying Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari is ‘pretty cool’

    Ali Tareen, who is the son of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aide and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) bigwig Jahangir Tareen, was on Monday offered to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in response to a tweet calling Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari “pretty cool”.

    “Political differences aside, Aseefa is pretty cool,” Tareen had tweeted after Aseefa’s address to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) jalsa in Multan, which was seen as the formal entry into politics by the daughter of the late former PM Benazir Bhutto and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari.

    “Shukriya [thank you] Ali Tareen we welcome you to join PPP [sic],” tweeted a PPP supporter in response to the Multan Sultans co-owner’s praise for Aseefa.

    Here’s what the younger Tareen had to say in response:

    The tweets came as several netizens took to Twitter to praise Aseefa, who was filling in for her coronavirus positive brother PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, over her maiden public address. Many said she reminded them of her mother Benazir.

    Earlier, Aseefa delivered a short and brisk speech. She vowed to stand by her brother “every step of the way”.

    She began her speech by heaping scorn on the “selected” government. “Despite the cruelty and oppression by the selected [government], so many of you have gathered here. This selected [government] will have to go!”

    She said those who think the opposition will be cowed into submission are mistaken, Geo reported.

    Aseefa said that the people had announced their decision and that they wanted PM Imran to “pack up and leave”.

    Speaking about her mother, she said Benazir Bhutto had carried on her father’s mission — to establish a welfare state — and faced several setbacks.

    “[Former] president Asif Zardari introduced the 18th Amendment and BISP [Benazir Income Support Programme] and fought for the people’s rights,” she said and promised supporters that she would continue their mission and would not back down.

    “They think that we are afraid of arrests. If they arrest our brothers, then they should know that every woman of PPP is ready to take up the struggle,” she said.

  • KYA BOLA? (Nov 30): ‘NAB Ki Shikayat’, ‘Phly Corruption Aur Ab Corona’, ‘Police Danda Uthaye Tou Ap Ko Bhi Ijazat Ha’

    KYA BOLA? (Nov 30): ‘NAB Ki Shikayat’, ‘Phly Corruption Aur Ab Corona’, ‘Police Danda Uthaye Tou Ap Ko Bhi Ijazat Ha’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on November 30, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘NAB Ki Shikayat’

    Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla has approached the prime minister and the army chief against NAB, reported Daily Jang. “Parliamentarians mushkilaat ka shikaar hain, band Kamron mai logon ko zaleel kiya jata ha, NAB officers ky assasy awam ky samny laon ga,” said Mandviwalla.

    ‘Phly Corruption Aur Ab Corona’

    Punjab CM Usman Buzdar has blamed the opposition for second wave of coronavirus, reported Dunya News. Buzdar was reported as saying: “Corona taqreeban khatam hony ky qareeb tha, opposition ki bad-tadbeeri ny dobara zindagi di. Mustarrad-shuda annasir ny phly corruption ka virus phelaya aur ab ye coronavirus phela rahy hain.”

    ‘Police Danda Uthaye Tou Kaarkunan Ko Bhi Ijazat’

    JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said PDM rally in Multan will be held at all cost and use of violence will be met with violence, reported Daily Jang. Fazl was quoted as saying: “Kaarkun tammam rukawatin torr kr Multan jalsy mai shirkat karin. Agar police danda istemaal kary tou aap ko bhi danda istemaal karny ki ijazat ha.”

  • Exams are bad in COVID, political rallies not so bad, believes Maryam

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz thinks it is unsafe to conduct medical entry tests due to coronavirus, but it is perfectly okay to organise massive political gatherings amid a second wave of the virus.

    In a tweet, the PML-N leader expressed solidarity with the protesting students. She questioned why the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT 2020) was being held when educational institutions have been closed due to the virus.

    “While all educational institutions are closed and exams are being postponed, MDCAT students are being forced to appear for MDCAT test by PMC,” tweeted Maryam, expressing concern for the families of the students. 

    But it seems the PML-N leader wants to use the medical entry tests issue to gain political mileage, and coronavirus is just an excuse. The PML-N leader has no plan to postpone her Multan rally despite the soaring tally of COVID cases and repeated government directives.

    According to local media reports, the PML-N vice president said that she will go ahead with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally in the southern Punjab city.

    “I am taking part in the rally on instructions of my father Nawaz Sharif,” Maryam said, adding that her father has told her to carry on her political activities despite the loss of her grandmother. Shamim Akhtar who died in London on Sunday will be brought back by the end of this week.

    PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah has refused to admit the role of the opposition rallies in the spread of coronavirus infections. He said the virus doesn’t spread by organising rallies and asked for relevant data to prove him wrong.

    Meanwhile, the Multan district administration has refused to grant permission for the rally in the wake of the increase in coronavirus infections. “We have not allowed public gatherings because of COVID-19,” Deputy Commissioner Amir Khattak was quoted by a local media outlet as saying.

    COVID CASES IN PAKISTAN:

    Pakistan has reported over 3,300 infections for the second time in day, while at least 40 people have died due to the virus. Despite quasi-lockdown restrictions, the number is on the rise with people paying no heed to the SOPs.

    According to the National Command and Operation Centre, Muzaffarabad has reported the highest positivity ratio at 17.05%.

    Peshawar has reported the second-highest positivity ratio at 15.64%, following by Hyderabad and Karachi with 14.40% and 14.02% positivity rate, respectively. In Rawalpindi, Multan, and Mirpur, the positivity rate is over 10%.